page40 (1/2)

“So, a drunken night of fun at the clubhouse followed by a terrible ht stand?” Izzy asked with her oodness

Shell dropped a fry midway to her mouth She couldn’t have sed it if her life depended on it Showed just how bad the situation really was that she wished she’d done what Izzy predicted “No”

“Did, u her hands “Did he rape you?”

And there was the question that drove her to therapy even before Beth was born For uilt, heartache, and shame so severe she couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep, and had a difficult tih her basic daily tasks Once she saw the tiny swell of her pregnant belly pop out, she knew she needed to get her head on straight Protecting her daughter was the , and she couldn’t do that if she couldn’t take care of herself

“It’sshreds off a napkin “I made the choice to sleep with him, and I own that, but it wasn’t because I wanted him or wanted to be with him There were…circumstances that led me to feel I really had no choice”

The decision to sleep with Rusty was souilt over the years Because she had chosen to sleep with Rusty She never fought him, never told him no, basically let him do whatever he wanted to her But it had been a choice iven her two options, and the bitch of it was, she’d picked the lesser of two evils

Suddenly her skin prickled, and she rubbed her ar rash The realization of what she’d just confessed crashed down around her Oh, God, people knew her secret The need to curl into a ball and hide her face slao”

Toni’s arm came around her shoulders “Hold on, let’s talk a little ets cranky, I’ll just make her a milkshake”

“No, I mean leave” She shook her head “Leave town Move somewhere else”

Toni gasped, letting her arm fall “No, Shell, you can’t You tried that once, and it didn’t work You were away for years and ca here”

Shell hung her head as the weight of the world settled on her shoulders “I ca I’d have years before Rusty was even eligible to get out And now…it’s just too risky for us to stay here” Glancing up, she took in her friend’s open-mouthed stare